


a snapshot in time

by monyaka



Series: Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts [7]
Category: Royal Blood (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, F/M, Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28014261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monyaka/pseuds/monyaka
Summary: sometimes, you just want to take a snapshot in time, and remember how happy you are just to be alive.
Relationships: Chloe Taylor/Andrew Russell
Series: Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035726
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	a snapshot in time

**Author's Note:**

> we're back again with our tattooist andrew/chloe au.... i love these two so much. theyre so important to me i dont think ill ever recover

“oh, come on. the way you look at it, it seems like you’ve never seen a phone.”

chloe’s joking, but the way andrew splutters in response makes her feel like she’s somehow right. he flushes and pouts, folds his arms and offers up a sullen remark. “i told you, i don’t really keep up with new trends.”

_ new trends, _ she thinks incredulously, like smartphones haven’t been around for forever. it’s their second date, and chloe’s phone has been making prominent appearances. she’s a little bit of a hipster, if she’s being honest, and she doesn’t often get the chance to go out to eat. but andrew’s offered to pay, so she’s dragged him to a restaurant she’s always wanted to try. she’s heard that the plating on their food is magnificent — and it doesn’t break the bank, either.

_ he _ hasn’t picked up his fork yet. no, instead, he’s cupped his cheek in his pale hand. in the warm light of the room, andrew looks even more sickly. the circles under his eyes seem darker with the shadows, and his skin seems indoor-pale. but beyond that, he’s still breathtakingly handsome in a romantic kind of way. or, rather… a  _ romantic-era _ kind of way.

“your dish is beautiful,” he says sweetly, but he’s not even looking at it. no, he’s just staring at chloe with a sort of mischievous adoration. and the very sight of it makes chloe’s cheeks heat up. she almost drops her phone as she burns up in her seat. but of course, andrew can’t have that. he’s already coming over to her side of the table, appraising her dish with an artist’s eye. “have you tried taking it from this angle?” and then he walks a pace or two back, making a square with his fingers as he peers at her through them. “this angle is good too.”

“don’t be ridiculous,” she says, and he laughs merrily as he takes his seat again. but she’s still flushed from his serious eyes on her, from the sound of his laughter. “i-i’m trying to take a picture of my food!”

if she’s being honest, she half-expects him to make a comment about how delicious  _ she _ looks, but the comment never comes. instead, he lets out a soft hum of consideration. “don’t you think that if you post a picture of you with the food, it’ll get more likes? you can even do both, side-by-side.”

unfortunately, chloe’s managed to compose herself by now. she bristles upon snapping the photo of her meal, and she starts inspecting it carefully. “i don’t post a lot of pictures of myself unless there’s a good reason. there’s nothing wrong with uploading pictures of yourself, i just don’t really like doing it.”

“then how about taking a picture with me?” andrew’s voice is soft, conspiratorial, like he’s suggesting the two of them rob a bank instead of suggesting something as harmless as a picture together. but her cheeks flush bright red as if it’s a scandalous suggestion. “isn’t enjoying a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try a good enough reason to take a picture?” 

the worst part of this, chloe thinks, is that he hasn’t dropped a single line on her, hasn’t forced himself on her in any way. if he had, she could call him an asshole and leave. but… he’s not  _ being _ one. not in the slightest. finally, she sighs, clenches her fists, and announces, “fine! let’s take a picture together, andrew.”

and his lips curve up into a smile, and he whispers, “chloe, you’re the cutest, you know?”

she doesn’t think she is, but when he comes up beside her and nudges his way half-onto her seat, when he slings his arm around the back of her chair and smiles charmingly for the camera, she can’t help but feel like she could change her mind. she almost forgets to smile for the camera, at least until andrew whispers, “say cheese, chloe.” 

“c-cheese, chloe.”

he looks at the picture with her and smiles with eyes that seem too full of affection to be real. but if the entire date had been this unsettling flustered feeling, she might not have enjoyed it as much as she did. no, chloe soon finds herself easily chatting with andrew, laughing as they feed each other bits and pieces of their respective meals. they talk about art, about beauty, about love. and when andrew walks her out of the restaurant, arm-in-arm like they’re an old couple, chloe can’t help but move a bit closer to him. and when she speaks next, it’s a mumble accompanied with bright red cheeks.

“do you want to open a bottle of wine at your place?”


End file.
